October 5, 2023
Day 29: Bari to Matera
It's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock 'n' roll)
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Bari isn't exactly a bike-friendly city, so it's lucky we were up early to beat some of the morning rush. At 7:15, we even considered turning on our lights. This photo will give you some idea what it was like:
I felt guilty for not taking photos of some of the ostentatious buildings we walked past yesterday. I quickly took this shot of the Teatro Margherita, which is now an art museum:
A lot of traffic, a lot of red lights, a lot of drivers breaking the law ever so slightly in every direction. This continued for about 5km, then there was a brief respite, followed by a slightly less hairy suburb. After that, we had a wide road mostly to ourselves.
I should mention that, while in Bari, we passed the Russian Orthodox church, which dates to the 12th century. It was boxed into such a small space that we couldn't even get a good look at it.
After our stint on the wide road I mentioned previously, I was expecting to be tossed off on to a poorly-maintained farm road. We got it, all right. It started off as dirt and rock, but to my surprise, it steadily improved to the point of pure enjoyment.
This little farm road was important enough that they even built a bridge for it to cross an autostrada.
I should mention that I opted for road cycling directions today, because there was a lot of elevation gain. Staying on a major road just takes some of the worry out of how steep and how smooth it's going to be. The farm road was maybe 5km of the total ride.
Another reason to opt for the provincial roads over farm roads is that we pass through more towns. The ones we visited today were quiet and charming. We were able to take two breaks in the shade in two different parks, and it was so relaxing. Just what we needed.
It wasn't a long day, and the only steep hill was the one leading into Matera, but 800 metres of climbing takes its toll on us no matter how spread out it is. Our spirits were high the whole day, which helped tremendously. We had good weather, and we had the olive trees to keep us company.
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As we neared Matera, the fields became empty, then we started noticing that acorns had replaced olive splotches on the asphalt. Oaks were asserting their dominance. There is unrest in the forest!
So remember a couple days ago when I wondered why brick gateways littered the edge of the olive groves? Well, today I observed some that had low stone fences between each gateway. So that explains it. It was just marking property lines while allowing farm equipment in and out of the groves. I think so, anyway.
Speaking of fences, someone went crazy here:
You might notice little beehive-shaped structures scattered about. We've seen a few of those before. We still don't know what they are or what their purpose might be.
I forgot to mention that at this point, we were going downhill. When I was younger, like in my twenties, I considered climbs and descents as a zero-sum game. You work going up, you have fun going down. I wish I could regain that foolish attitude. Now, it's: "What? We're going down? That just means we have to climb again! Why can't we just stay at this elevation all day?" I have to admit it was pretty nice to coast for a while.
I was planning to check out a sculpture park as a way of taking a break before our final climb into Matera. We also used it as an opportunity to lube our chains. I read a little about the park. Apparently it had become a dump site before it was cleaned up and dedicated to art. I love those kinds of rags-to-riches stories!
We reached our hotel at 2pm, did all our usual stuff, then we hit the streets. We were famished. We inhaled some focaccia, then we briefly toured the Sassi, aka the old old city carved into the hillsides.
We were surprised to discover a very modern-feeling pedestrian zone just above the Sassi. If ever there was a tale of two cities, this was it. I don't know when Matera became a hit among tourists, but they certainly figured out how to manage everything without spoiling the feel of the place. It wasn't as laid-back as Chioggia or Termoli, but we never felt rushed or crowded or overwhelmed by fellow visitors. Again, this is in October. Maybe it's crazy in the summer. I hope not, for the sake of the locals.
Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We have to push forward to Venosa because there's no lodging the following day until Monteleone di Puglia, which I think is the highest point in our traverse of the Appenines. I had to work my way backwards to book our accommodations, but I was able to book them. Our itinerary is more or less set in stone for the next two days.
I'm excited about following a Eurovelo route again, although this portion of EV5 is more a suggestion than a path. I think part of the adventure is to see what they (whoever "they" are) have come up with, and what it would take to make the dream come true. I'm not talking about dedicated bike paths, necessarily, but signage, roads with shoulders, and reasonable climbs and descents are necessary to make it fun for everyone, not just the super-fit adventurers running ultra-light rigs. I'll try to take note of any such deficiencies along the route, and report on them as we go along.
For now, good night!
Today's ride: 66 km (41 miles)
Total: 1,642 km (1,020 miles)
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